Green slam dunk for next generation Prius

Toyota has delivered everything it hoped with fuel economy and CO2 emissions for the third-generation Prius model first revealed at the 2009 Detroit auto show.

It took until the Geneva motor show just closed last week to announce the official next-generation Prius figures and they are impressive: the average fuel consumption is 3.9L/100km -- 0.5L/100km better than the 4.4L/100km quoted for the current Prius -- while the CO2 figure is exceptional at 89g/km, or 17g/km better than the current model's 106g/km.

This indicates that the new Prius, when it goes on sale locally in July this year, will have the lowest CO2 emissions of any car sold in Australia and is quite likely to be the most economical as well.

Everything points to the new Prius being impressive: the petrol engine part of the hybrid combination has gone from 1.5 to 1.8 litres to help performance and allows higher gearing for improved highway economy. The new model also has an improved drag coefficient of Cd 0.25 despite being larger and more accommodating. Toyota claims it is the most aerodynamic production car in the world.

According to Toyota, the bigger engine has improved by more than 20 per cent, while CO2 emissions are down 14 per cent, and economy improved by 10 per cent when measured by European standards.

"The next-generation car takes a further leap forward with an improved Hybrid Synergy Drive system that increases performance at the same time as cutting emissions to levels never before seen in Australia" said Toyota Australia's senior executive director sales and marketing David Buttner.

Buttner points to figures in the Australian Green Vehicle Guide that show diesel powered vehicles don't perform as well as the Prius on emissions even though they score well on fuel economy. He said it was "important to note that none of the five-star top performers in the Green Vehicle Guide are diesel vehicles."

How long Prius will remain as Australia's greenest is open to conjecture though.

Honda has its new Insight, which it is claimed will be more affordable than the Toyota and will be at least comparable in terms of green credentials, on the way in the "near future."

Toyota is no doubt hoping the fact that the Honda will not be as physically large as the Prius and therefore not as accommodating for passengers and luggage.

However it pans out, there can be no doubt the third-generation Prius will add to the growing interest in hybrids.